The Red Well: A Western Trio

These three reissued short novellas from the popular and wildly prolific Brand (real name Frederick Faust, 1892–1944) are classic examples of his carefully plotted, suspenseful, and action-packed horse operas. In “The Lion’s Share” (1928), outlaw Jerry Garlan develops a guilty conscience after a deadly stagecoach robbery, but a wily sheriff, a pretty girl, and a blackmail artist put him in a tough moral dilemma. “The Red Well” (1934) finds gunman Charlie “Quick” Kimball leaving his sweetheart to aid a friend besieged on his arid cattle ranch by a gang of murderous cutthroats, even though the land seems almost worthless. Best is “Bad News for Bad Men” (1934), about a smart-mouth, hell-raising saddle bum who becomes an unlikely newspaper editor in a lawless frontier town. On a lucrative bet with his rich uncle, Jimmy Jones agrees to take over the failing Jasper Journal, but finds that his six-guns won’t be enough to save the paper. The shrewd and audacious Jimmy then turns an accidental death into a murder and slanders the back-shooting Burwell clan, creating a sensational story to boost circulation. But Jimmy’s false accusations unexpectedly turn out to be true, unleashing a passel of violence and death. This is fun western reading, revealing that Brand’s stories are just as exciting today as they were yesterday. (Dec.)